Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of entry passages down to the site... early reports indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - also known as Daesh - imposed militant control over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of the group following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of British forces who took part in this mission for their skill and their bravery," he added. "Including them were thousands of British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our way of life, shows how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Daesh still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
